Welcome to the ninth edition of our developer blog. With preparations for our next major update underway, we would like to give Seekers a brief preview of what features they can expect to see in the upcoming release.

Narrative

• Expanded the main questlines in Tecta Horizons and into Glowing Forest.  
• Introduced new rogue company questlines for Arbitrum, Base, and Soneium Chain Worlds.

Art

• Created new NPCs for upcoming Chain World quests.
• Updated NPC models in Tecta Horizons and the Glowing Forest.

Game Design

• Implemented a new pheromone system to revamp how players find and tame rare Venari.
• Seekers will be able to craft specific items by interacting with NPCs in designated shops.
• Reduced the reliance on rarer materials in item recipes.
• Introduced Venari Ambushes that will require Seekers to prepare for unexpected battles.

Engineering

• Optimizing desktop performance and revamping the mobile UI for a seamless experience.
• Integrated onchain assets support to allow players to sync and trade assets onchain once mainnet goes live.

Read ahead to learn about the narrative team’s plans to continue the main storyline and also introduce players to the different Chain Worlds through a series of quests. 

Narrative: Advancing the Main Storyline

By Mr. Stidz

Building on the established main questlines, the narrative team has implemented the latest story additions, guiding Seekers deeper into Tecta Horizons and the Glowing Forest. After completing the tutorial under Professor Oswald’s guidance, they’ll begin uncovering more about the Kore Outbreak alongside a familiar face—Kira Helvik.

Kira Helvik in Tecta Horizons.

The Glowing Forest has also received a map expansion, continuing the main storyline from Tecta Horizons. Here, Seekers will track down missing expedition teams sent by Professor Oswald and investigate the origins of the mysterious corrupted essence fragments.

Glowing Forest landmark.

Beyond the major locations of Caerras, new rogue company questlines are being introduced for Chain Worlds—blockchain-specific regions known narratively as rogue companies, including Arbitrum, Base, and Soneium. Each of these companies operates with its own ideals and philosophies, striving to find solutions to the Kore Outbreak in its own way. In the upcoming update, Seekers will soon have the opportunity to explore these regions to uncover their motives and navigate the unique challenges they face.

But for now, let’s take a look at some of the key NPCs designed by the art team that Seekers will encounter during the Chain World questlines.

Art: Designing New NPCs

By Ven

With the variety of new quests being implemented by the narrative team, the art team has been designing new NPCs to bring these upcoming quests to life. 

As Seekers delve deeper into the main storyline and the Chain Worlds, they will encounter many fresh faces, including Alpha, a mysterious but pivotal figure in Arbitrum, and Chef Rami from Base.

Alpha from Arbitrum.

Chef Rami from Base.

In addition, new NPCs will be making their appearance in Tecta Horizons and the Glowing Forest to support new questlines.

New NPCs in Tecta Horizons and Glowing Forest.

Looking ahead, the team is also creating new recipes and gatherables to support future gameplay updates, both within the Chain Worlds and Caerras as a whole.

New consumables that will be coming to Caerras.

With these visual updates in place, let’s turn to the game design team as they break down the updates to crafting and gathering.

Game Design: Pheromone System, and Improving the Gathering & Crafting Loop

By Ardoyn

This month in design, we’ve taken in a lot of the feedback since our latest update that included element-based pheromones. With the next update, we’ll be introducing the next stage of pheromones, which will completely revamp how players find and tame rare Venari. Each time a player defeats a Venari, they’ll have a chance to earn specific pheromone components. Rarer Venari or more difficult encounters yield higher rarity pheromone components. This will allow the player to encounter more diverse and rarer Venari as they acquire different pheromones.

Venari-specific rare pheromones.

In our ongoing effort to refine the gathering experience, we’ve reworked how players interact with the Workshop, making it easier to acquire and craft items. With the next major update, crafting will feel more accessible, as many recipes have been adjusted to reduce reliance on rarer materials. Seekers will also be able to interact with NPCs in designated shops to craft specific item types.

Basic Pheromone Vendor Liora Dainis in Tecta Horizons.

Advanced Pheromone Vendor Seren Faelix in Glowing Forest.

In order to add more depth to the core game loop, we’re also implementing a new Ambush feature that will make wild Venari engage in battles with Seekers at random. Seekers will need to plan carefully while on the lookout for resources, ensuring they’re prepared for challenging battles to secure their hard-earned items.

Beyond these changes, we’ve also expanded the Glowing Forest to pick up the main questline from Tecta Horizons. As we continue adding more locations and Venari, we also wanted to give players a quicker way to traverse across different areas within a region through craftable waypoints while also providing a detailed collection database for Seekers via the Venari C.A.R.D. system.

Next, we shift to the engineering team as they break down their approach to integrating onchain assets into the gameplay.

Engineering: Optimization and Onchain Assets Integration

By Architect

To support the features being added by the game design team, optimization has been the main priority to improve the performance on desktop. In tandem, the mobile UI is undergoing a revamp to seamlessly integrate the latest features, when these optimizations go live.

Building upon these improvements, we're also preparing for our mainnet release by integrating support for onchain assets to allow players to sync their Ascended Venari and items on or offchain effortlessly. When assets are minted, they will become tradable but unavailable for in-game use, offering players flexibility in managing their onchain and offchain collections.

On the gameplay front, we're introducing new quest prerequisites and objectives, paving the way for upcoming challenges Seekers will face in the various Chain Worlds. 

Stay tuned for an upcoming announcement detailing the exciting features and improvements in our next major update!

Join the open playtest today to experience the gameplay firsthand, and be on the lookout for additional future content updates! Until then, we encourage you to share your feedback and let us know which features you would like to see in future updates.

Start Playing Here

Stay up-to-date with all the latest happenings in Caerras by exploring our comprehensive Notion introduction, filled with community tutorials and resources.

Additionally, make sure to stay connected with us on our social media channels to keep up with the latest updates.

Compiled and edited by BestPwnz and Vanguardian007 from the Community Team.